Chapter 43. I got scammed.

On a moonlit night with few stars, Jiang Huaisu was sleeping soundly on her dilapidated wooden bed when a loud crash suddenly rang out, followed by the clanging of shattered stones and the screams of monkeys. It sounded as if a battering ram was whistling through the cave, instantly waking her up.

Pushing open the door, she grabbed a fleeing monkey. The monkey looked like it had just woken up, its fur was a mess, and there were drool marks on its face.

"What happened?"

"Oh, it seems like a monster is attacking under the cover of night? I just saw a dark figure wandering around the cave, but I didn't dare to look closely." The little monkey, as if it had found its pillar of support, quickly climbed onto her shoulder. "Sister Susu, what should we do?"

She steadied herself and said, "Don't panic, let's find out the enemy's situation first."

Almost all the monkeys inside the cave were awakened. After the initial chaos, they quickly and methodically regrouped. The monkey guard on duty had already rung the alarm bell, but it was ignored amidst the commotion and vandalism.

Jiang Huaisu made her way to the cave entrance and learned from the monkeys on guard duty that a black bear demon had broken in. The cave passage was narrow, and the bear demon, being too large to squeeze into the inner chamber, had no choice but to smash through the rocks to make way.

"Is there only one person on the other side?"

"It seems so! Apart from that bear, I haven't seen any helpers."

Jiang Huaisu reasonably deduced that the black bear probably wanted to launch a surprise night attack, but after being discovered by the monkeys on guard duty, it recklessly rushed in. Since it had never entered the Water Curtain Cave before, it did not expect that its large size would not be able to squeeze into the inner passage.

There wasn't much time to waste; the bear demon had already reached the right rear, and beyond that lay the resettlement area for the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled.

She could roughly guess some of the bear's tactics: it would rampage and kill wherever it went, trying to reduce the number of people in the Water Curtain Cave as much as possible.

She immediately mobilized the monkey troop to pinpoint the enemy's location. Navigating the maze-like tunnels, the monkeys, with their familiarity with the terrain, quickly formed a pincer movement against the enemy.

Unfortunately, the narrow passage slowed down the bear demon's progress, but it also made a group fight impractical. So Jiang Huaisu had to lead the charge alone, while the monkeys looked for opportunities to assist from the side.

In such a confined space, the longbone bow was of little use. Jiang Huaisu drew her gold-plated soft sword and charged forward with a heavy heart.

The opponent's fangs were almost as long as her head, and its physique was incredibly strong—it could darken the sky with a single swipe of its back. Its half-human, half-bear appearance was terrifying. Honestly, if she encountered such an opponent alone in the street, she would definitely run away!

However, as the second-in-command, he was burdened with heavy responsibilities and had no choice but to step in even if he couldn't win.

She didn't know if she was unlucky or lucky. If she had gone back to Yunlou Palace with Nezha instead of staying in Huaguo Mountain for a while longer, the Water Curtain Cave would have really changed its name!

Having studied under Patriarch Bodhi for several years and consumed numerous elixirs and fruits while residing in the Heavenly Palace, significantly raising her cultivation level, Jiang Huaisu's current cultivation level can be said to far surpass the average level of demons of her age.

Although I couldn't defeat this bear demon in a one-on-one fight, I wouldn't be completely crushed either.

After fighting for dozens of rounds, Jiang Huaisu gradually figured out the trick. She realized that her opponent's stamina far surpassed hers, and that prolonging the battle would be unwise. It would be better to lure him to an open area so that the monkey troop could swarm him and help her capture this evil demon.

With a light touch of her toes, she used the rock face for leverage to spin around and leap onto the back of the black bear.

The latter immediately turned around and launched an attack with the force of a punch meant to smash her skull. Jiang Huaisu fought and retreated, constantly tossing and switching swords behind her back, making it impossible for the black bear to accurately predict her sword path. He could only follow her footsteps outwards in annoyance at being teased.

Jiang Huaisu thought it would take some effort, but the process went surprisingly smoothly, and she quickly led the black bear to the front cave.

Seeing that the time was ripe, the old monkey gave a whistle, and the monkeys that had been waiting around immediately rushed forward, wielding ropes, machetes, sticks... all sorts of weapons came out at once, full of confidence to subdue the black bear.

However, the bear demon did not hesitate at all. Almost at the same time that the old monkey pursed his lips and whistled, he immediately crouched down, rolled over, and ran at top speed toward the cave entrance, as if he had expected them to do so.

Previously, the black bear's moves were mainly clumsy and forceful, so this unexpected display of agility and speed suggests it had deliberately prepared a backup plan. Its escape route was likely planned as soon as it entered the cave; it had no intention of engaging the monkey troop in a prolonged struggle within the cave.

Seeing that Jiang Huaisu was consciously shifting her position, the bear demon deliberately played along.

His entire body trembled as he leaped off the waterfall, with Jiang Huaisu close behind. She couldn't believe that she, a creature with wings, couldn't outrun someone running on the ground.

In fact, I've never actually pursued one.

Moreover, it was much larger than her, and judging from its outline, it should be some kind of raptor. This was a gap that she couldn't make up for by using transformation techniques to inflate her size; it was the real deal.

The large bird swooped down like a glider, grabbed the black bear, and carried it away.

In the blink of an eye, it had disappeared into the forest below. With the thick darkness and the lush canopy of trees as cover, the large bird quickly carried the bear demon away, disappearing into some unknown corner.

Jiang Huaisu searched the forest all night with the monkey troop, but found nothing.

Returning to the Water Curtain Cave with dark circles under her eyes, she immediately began devising a follow-up plan. If one thing happened, another might; she refused to believe the black bear would give up so easily. Lacking absolute confidence in protecting the Water Curtain Cave, she decided to write to request reinforcements.

Nezha is temporarily ruled out. He returned to Yunlou Palace, and if she were to send a message, she would have to do it herself. Considering the time difference between heaven and earth, a round trip would take many days. The current situation does not allow her to leave the base without permission; she might be attacked if she leaves.

Option two: Yang Jian and Xiaotian. Although their relationship isn't particularly deep, she's willing to swallow her pride and ask them for help for the sake of Flower Fruit Mountain. However, considering that Yang Jian and Xiaotian don't always stay at Guanjiang Estuary, she might end up empty-handed. This option isn't foolproof.

Option three: The Bull Demon King. As Sun Wukong's sworn brother, this fellow has a significant presence in Journey to the West, and his abilities are considerable. However, this bull is too adept at assessing the situation. Having determined that Sun Wukong has already made enemies of the Heavenly Court, he will most likely find an excuse to back down and protect himself.

After writing a distress letter, Jiang Huaisu dispatched two old monkeys skilled in cloud-riding techniques, sending them to Guanjiang Estuary and Cuiyun Mountain respectively. Whether the Bull Demon King and Yang Jian were willing to help or not, she had to try her luck.

Before leaving, he reminded the old monkey: "If the Bull Demon King is not on Cuiyun Mountain, go and look for him at Moyun Cave on Jilei Mountain."

She remembered that in Journey to the West, the Bull Demon King later lived in the cave of the Jade-Faced Fox. Just to be on the safe side, she told the little monkey both locations, and that no matter where the Bull Demon King stayed, the letter must be delivered.

*

To escape the pursuers from Flower Fruit Mountain, the black bear and the golden eagle fled to a hidden cave on a neighboring mountain.

This was an excellent hiding spot, a safe house they had prepared for themselves in advance. The only drawback was that the space was too cramped; with a bear and an eagle, just squeezing in took a lot of effort.

The original owner of the burrow was a pangolin, whose body had long since been disposed of. The two large creatures who had taken over the burrow were curled up inside, their faces even showing a hint of contentment.

Some time ago, the Black Bear Demon missed a lot of important information due to hibernation and seclusion. After many days, he heard rumors that the monkey from Flower Fruit Mountain had been dealt with by the Heavenly Court, and Water Curtain Cave had become a no-man's land.

The eagle urged him to seize territory at the Water Curtain Cave. The black bear thought it wasn't a bad deal, so he set off for Flower Fruit Mountain. However, he didn't expect to encounter a pile of monster corpses as soon as he arrived, which scared him so much that he almost turned around and left.

The local monsters said that the corpses on this ground were the work of Nezha, the Third Prince of Heaven, and meant that anyone who dared to mess with Flower Fruit Mountain would suffer the same fate.

The bear demon found it strange. According to the information he had gathered before, the Third Prince had clearly participated in the siege of Sun Wukong, so why would he help him guard the mountain?

The local demons, with enigmatic expressions, said that the young woman living in the Water Curtain Cave seemed to have an unusual relationship with the Third Prince.

The black bear was skeptical of this explanation. What a joke! How many demons had Nezha killed? How could a celestial being, dedicated to vanquishing demons, befriend a demon? He'd also heard of the magpie demon in the Water Curtain Cave; she was practically Sun Wukong's lieutenant. Her cultivation wasn't particularly high; how could she possibly have the ability to attract the favor of the celestial beings?

The black bear thought that the girl had probably spread the news herself to scare people, and his courage, which had been shrunk by fear, gradually swelled up again.

Out of caution, he stayed on Flower Fruit Mountain to observe for a few more days, but he didn't even see a single hair of Nezha's. He only saw the woman picking up corpses all over the mountain. Her back looked very frail, and the black bear felt that he could crush her with one hand.

Not to mention the golden eagle stirring things up beside him: "Brother Black Bear, in my opinion, it must be that the Third Prince passed by to subdue demons and chopped up a bunch of trash, which that little girl took the opportunity to use as a pretext."

The bear demon grew increasingly eager and immediately set about planning a night raid with the golden eagle, both to scout the location and to test the strength of Jiang Huaisu.

What displeased the black bear was that not only were the nearby monsters unwilling to help, but the eagle brother also refused to enter the Water Curtain Cave with him, preferring to stay outside as a backup. The bear demon wasn't stupid; this cheap brother was clearly letting him take the lead while he reaped the benefits from the rear!

In the middle of the night, neither the bear nor the eagle could sleep. They curled up in their burrow, silently planning for the future. The golden eagle's thinking was simple: he dared not take great risks, so if he contributed little, he would naturally receive little credit. If they really conquered Flower Fruit Mountain, he would acknowledge the black bear as his elder brother and take a backseat.

The bear demon's plans were far more complex. He glanced at the golden eagle and said, "Now that we've tested her, that girl's strength is just so-so. We'll find an opportunity to lure her out alone and wring out her head. Then the rest of the monkeys won't be a threat."

The golden eagle agreed, "That's what I think too, but how do we lure her out?"

"I have a plan, and I need your help."

The golden eagle hesitated for a moment, shook its feathers, and said tactfully, "Brother, you know I'm not very capable; I'm only good at running away."

The bear demon gave him a mocking look, his tone tinged with impatience: "I haven't even explained what the plan is yet, and you're already trying to shirk responsibility? Don't worry, it won't be tiring for you; you just need to say a few words."

He knew that the golden eagle had learned a skill from its parrot master called "talking mimicry," which allowed it to flawlessly imitate other people's voices and tones. Unless one had profound cultivation, even using magic would not be able to see through its imitation.

“If that girl can use the Third Prince’s name to intimidate people, so can we.”

"......What's the meaning?"

“You pretend to be the Third Prince, imitate his voice, and lure the girl out.” Black Bear smiled meaningfully. “Haven’t you met the Third Prince before? You should still remember his voice.”

Years ago, Nezha killed the Golden Eagle's maternal grandfather. Although he was young at the time, the scene of Nezha slitting his grandfather's throat left a deep impression on him. Nezha's voice, Nezha's appearance, Nezha's tone... remained vivid in his memory.

He remembers the scene vividly, not so much to seek revenge on his enemies when he grows up, but purely because of the psychological trauma he can't forget.

The golden eagle acknowledged the black bear's plan's feasibility but remained somewhat hesitant: "What if that girl really has an affair with the Third Prince?"

"If the Third Prince really liked that woman, why did he help the Heavenly Court deal with Flower Fruit Mountain before? Sun Wukong would not have a good ending after being captured and brought back to the Heavenly Court. And that woman was with the monkey, how could she be involved with the Third Prince?"

Ultimately, this theory convinced the golden eagle, and it agreed to cooperate with the operation.

A few days ago, they hid in the cave to avoid trouble, and only after confirming that Jiang Huaisu had given up the search did they begin to implement their plan.

The bear demon transformed into human form and donned a suit of heavenly soldier armor. Although the details of the attire were not entirely identical, it was enough to fool the monkey under the cover of night. Upon arriving at the Water Curtain Cave, he sent the little monkey in to announce that Prince Nezha was waiting in the apricot grove on the mountainside and invited Jiang Huaisu to come and have a chat.

When Jiang Huaisu heard the news, her first reaction was that it was a trap. But the "heavenly soldier" left without a word, not giving her a chance to test him, and never came back to urge him, as if he really was just there to deliver a message for Nezha.

Jiang Huaisu couldn't sit still any longer until the next morning.

In the past, she could have simply ignored it, but now that she had just had a falling out with Nezha, she couldn't help but start to overthink. She wondered if Nezha was too ashamed to ask her for reconciliation, which was why he didn't want to come to the Water Curtain Cave to find her in person, but instead chose to meet her at the Apricot Grove to put on airs.

Another day passed, but the heavenly soldiers still hadn't come to urge them on. If it really was Nezha who delivered the message earlier, he would probably have left by now.

After agonizing for a day and a night, Jiang Huaisu finally succumbed to temptation and decided to go to the apricot grove to find out what was going on.

Considering the possibility that this might be an enemy trap, Jiang Huaisu brought a considerable number of people with her when she went out. Fearing it might be a diversionary tactic, she repeatedly instructed the monkeys in the cave to remain vigilant and to immediately rendezvous with her at the mountainside if anything seemed amiss.

A large group of monkeys marched towards the mountainside, with Jiang Huaisu at the front, feeling inexplicably nervous.

Nezha seemed quite angry when he left. If it really is him this time, and she hasn't come to keep their appointment after waiting for a whole day and night in the apricot grove, then he probably won't be able to appease her. What should she do then? Will she be stripped of her temporary residence rights at Yunlou Palace and forbidden from ever stepping into Lianxin Residence again?

With various scenarios in mind, she arrived at the apricot grove in the mountains.

There was no wind, but the air was dry and cold. The sunlight was weak, offering little warmth to the branches and the ground. In the silence, Jiang Huaisu could clearly hear the sound of her footsteps crunching through the withered branches and fallen leaves.

"Nezha!" she tried calling out, but there was no response.

The monkeys joined in the shouts, but unlike Jiang Huaisu, they didn't call him by his name directly; instead, they called him "Third Prince." The monkey calls echoed throughout the mountain, startling the birds in the forest.

From deep within the apricot grove, a clear and melodious young voice finally rang out, tinged with a hint of impatience: "So noisy."

The sound wasn't loud, but miraculously, everyone present heard it. The monkeys fell silent in unison and looked at Jiang Huaisu.

"Jiang Huaisu," the voice continued, "Why are you only coming now when I've summoned you?"

It was indeed Nezha's tone, questioning with a hint of anger, as if he had really been waiting for her there for a whole day and night.

It was hard to explain in a short time, so Jiang Huaisu shouted back, "I've run into some trouble these past few days. Third Prince, if you want to find me, why don't you just come to the Water Curtain Cave?"

They're being so secretive; it really leaves her completely baffled.

"I'm injured and need to rest here. The Water Curtain Cave is too noisy and not suitable."

Actually, this statement has some flaws upon closer examination; for example, there are also secluded chambers within the Water Curtain Cave where one can quietly cultivate. However, Jiang Huaisu didn't think too much about it at the moment; as the saying goes, concern makes one confused, and her attention was completely drawn to the first half of the sentence:

"Why were you injured? Did you go to exorcise demons?"

"None of your business."

The golden eagle's impression of Nezha was that of a ruthless god who killed demons without blinking an eye, arrogant and aloof, who would wipe the blood off his hands with his magic ribbon after killing a demon, as if afraid of being tainted in the slightest by the aura of evil demons. So when he played Nezha, he tried to lean in that direction as much as possible. Just be a little arrogant.

But the words "it's none of your business" sounded like a boastful attempt to save face to Jiang Huaisu.

"What does the Third Prince want me to do?"

"I have things to do later and won't be able to return to Heaven for a while. I'll stay here for a few days. Come in and help me heal my wounds."

After telling the lie, the golden eagle felt a little guilty and, fearing that Jiang Huaisu would notice something was wrong, added in a show of bravado but with a hint of weakness: "You used my name to show off, so it's only right that you repay me. Quickly bring out the good stuff from your cave to help me recover from my injuries as soon as possible."

This sounds a bit strange, but the fact that the monsters in the vicinity who coveted Flower Fruit Mountain were able to restrain their ambitions was indeed because Nezha stood up for her. It doesn't seem wrong to say that she was using the name of the Third Prince to show off her power.

As for the "good stuff" he mentioned, Jiang Huaisu tentatively interpreted it as good wine and good food. He seemed to enjoy the fruit wine at the last banquet; did he want to drink more?

"We've already finished drinking the fruit wine we made this year."

The golden eagle was completely confused, thinking to itself that it hadn't said it wanted to drink, so what did this mean? Was it testing him?

Adhering to the principle that the more you say, the more mistakes you make, he didn't reply, but only gave a cold snort.

"Don't be upset, drinking won't help heal your wounds."

"Oh." The golden eagle remained aloof to the end.

The two were practically having a cross-server chat; their conversations were completely unrelated, yet each responded smoothly to the others. Jiang Huaisu brushed aside the branches in front of her and took a step forward: "Where are you?"

"It's in the southwest, just a few steps ahead."

The forest was dappled with light and shadow, and the sounds of the wind and birds had all disappeared, as if it were completely covered by an invisible glass dome, so peaceful and serene that it felt almost unreal.

Jiang Huaisu took two more steps inside, and the monkeys behind her followed suit, with two older ones standing on either side of her. The sheer number and the pomp made it seem as if the Empress Dowager was being escorted on an imperial procession.

What are you doing bringing such a large group of monkeys in here?

"I'll help you heal your wounds; there are many monkeys, so there's strength in numbers."

If she needs to transfer spiritual energy to Nezha, she alone certainly won't be enough. Besides, she can't be 100% sure that it's Nezha himself inside. Although she hasn't found any flaws yet, having an extra layer of security is never a bad thing.

Nezha's voice rang out again: "I only want you."

"....."

She was asked to go in and help heal her injuries, but she refused a more efficient method. This made Jiang Huaisu suspicious. She paused and signaled to the monkeys around her to be on guard.

"Why don't you go back to the Water Curtain Cave, Third Prince? I don't think the spiritual energy in this Apricot Grove is that abundant."

"This is an order, not a discussion. How dare a mere demon utter a word? Do as I say, and you shall do!"

The golden eagle was so engrossed in playing Nezha that it couldn't extricate itself from the art. However, Nezha had never actually spoken to Jiang Huaisu in that tone, and even when he was throwing a tantrum, he would never use his status to intimidate others.

Jiang Huaisu suddenly felt a surge of doubts, changed direction, and was about to leave the apricot grove.

Suddenly, a little monkey let out a short, terrified scream. It had stepped into a trap hidden by fallen leaves and twigs. Jiang Huaisu leaped to the monkey's side, grabbed it, and hid it in another open area not covered by leaves.

Jiang Huaisu put down the little monkey. Her first reaction was to suspect that the bear demon had done this. But upon closer inspection, the trap was very crudely set up and there was no trace of demonic energy fluctuations on it. This was why she hadn't noticed the trap immediately.

Jiang Huaisu subconsciously turned to the side to avoid the wind, but she was still blown so hard that she could hardly open her eyes. It wasn't until the wind stopped and the flowers fell that she could see the scene in front of her again.

All the fallen leaves and withered flowers had vanished, replaced by emptiness, and the monkeys that had accompanied them were no longer by their side.

Clearly, she was no longer in the apricot grove. Jiang Huaisu stiffened her neck and looked down, suddenly feeling dizzy. She didn't know when, but one of her feet was already on the edge of a cliff, and one more step forward would send her falling.

Behind her was another sheer cliff. She stood on a protruding rock, forced to maintain a perfectly upright posture, with no room to bend over. But she wasn't panicked. Even the highest cliff would be difficult for a fully-fledged bird to fall to its death. Flying was the first lesson she learned after arriving in this world.

However, given the current situation, it can be confirmed that the person in the apricot grove was not Nezha.

She got scammed.

Regretting her carelessness, she felt somewhat dejected. She shouldn't have made such a mistake; it must have been her emotions clouding her judgment. That despicable enemy had disguised himself as an ally—unforgivable.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much time for reflection; she needed to figure out the situation as quickly as possible. The monster must have used some method to transfer her here. Was the purpose to separate her from the monkey troop?

Jiang Huaisu knew of a formation made up of movable trees, similar to a living maze. But the apricot grove on the mountainside was a genuine apricot grove, impossible to fake. This must just be some variation of the formation, or a lower-spec version.

Both the crude trap and the two moving apricot trees were designed to lure her into taking a step and activating the array's core. However, being a low-end version, even with spatial teleportation capabilities, there were limitations on distance and the number of people involved. Jiang Huaisu was still within the Flower Fruit Mountain territory, and this cliff was not far from the apricot grove.

Concerned for the monkeys' safety, she took a deep breath and leaped off the cliff. She could ride the clouds and had wings; this height wouldn't kill her. Her priority now was to get back to the apricot grove as quickly as possible.

To conserve her spiritual energy for fighting, she didn't use the cloud-borne technique, but instead spread her wings directly behind her.

She turned around in mid-air, intending to fly higher to get a better vantage point to pinpoint the location of the apricot grove, when suddenly a huge bird shadow leaped out from her blind spot above and swooped straight down towards her.

The golden eagle is a bird of prey, undoubtedly giving him a clear advantage; aerial combat would allow him to unleash his full potential. Jiang Huaisu dodged the attacks somewhat awkwardly, and as time passed, several new wounds appeared on his body.

She tried to find a chance to return to the ground, but the other side always managed to intercept her precisely.

Little did the golden eagle know that it was also in a state of confusion. It thought to itself that the black bear was cunning. He had previously claimed that all it needed to do was use its ability to "parrot" and say a few words to cooperate with the operation, but after actually participating in the plan, it found that it was impossible to stay out of it and had been passively joined in the group without even realizing it.

They split into two groups: the bear demon stayed in the apricot grove to deal with the monkey troop, while he was responsible for conquering Jiang Huaisu, this tough nut to crack.

The golden eagle felt increasingly cheated. This whole ordeal—disguising himself as the Third Prince, helping with formations, and even fighting this little bird—was a huge blow. Once they conquered Flower Fruit Mountain, he wasn't willing to be relegated to second place; he wanted to compete with the black bear for the throne.

He was distracted for a moment, and Jiang Huaisu seized the opportunity, folding her wings and tail, and like a swift white arrow, swooped down towards the ground.

The golden eagle reacted and immediately gave chase. At this point, they were only three or four zhang (approximately 10-13 meters) from the ground. Jiang Huaisu cursed the giant bird inwardly for being so troublesome while searching for an opening to break through.

At this crucial moment in the battle, an unexpected change occurred. A sandstorm several meters high suddenly rose from the ground, carried by the wind, and lashed the golden eagle from head to toe. With its eyes clouded by the sand, the golden eagle's flight path veered off course.

As if blessed by Lady Luck, Jiang Huaisu's eyes were not affected at all. Taking advantage of the golden eagle's brief moment of blindness, she finally got a chance to catch her breath and made an emergency landing.

Air combat has turned into land combat, and tactics must be adjusted accordingly. Jiang Huaisu was pondering her next move when a pretty girl in a white dress suddenly emerged from the bushes, grabbed her without a word, and ran away.

Jiang Huaisu: "?"

The girl explained quickly, "That dust was stirred up by my magic. There's nothing special about it; it's just ordinary dust. It might get in your eyes, but it's useless. That eagle should catch up soon."

The scene was so illogical, it was like a dream. Jiang Huaisu was completely bewildered, having no idea where this beautiful girl came from or why she was being taken away by her.

However, the girl exuded no murderous intent or hostility; her anxious expression suggested she genuinely wanted to help her escape the golden eagle's clutches. Could she be a righteous person who had intervened to help someone in need?

"Young lady, you..."

Jiang Huaisu had only finished asking her question when the golden eagle recovered, let out a sharp cry, and turned to chase after her. The girl in the white dress noticed the movement behind her and hurriedly quickened her pace, even revealing a flaw in her transformation technique. With a "poof," a fluffy tail flicked out from under her skirt.